New York Yankees

New York Yankees news, rumors and injuries

New York Yankees SP Masahiro Tanaka (elbow) tweaked his pitching mechanics, something he thinks contributed to his elbow injury in 2014. "I don't think they were solid," Tanaka said. "With the right mechanics, the right form, the right balance, you're able to throw a solid pitch. It's not about how much power you can put on the throw. It's more about the mechanics. That's what I believe." Most of the mechanical adjustments for Tanaka involve making sure his arm is in sync with the rest of his delivery.

Fantasy Tip: Tanaka, at 26 years old, remains young enough to possibly hold off on Tommy John surgery if he makes a conscious effort to take it easy this spring while at the same time tweaking his mechanics. Still, the threat of a TJS procedure sometime in the regular season remains very real, making Tanaka a bust candidate.

New York Yankees OFs Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner could both sit atop the lineup this season, according to manager Joe Girardi. Injuries forced the Yanks to use Ellsbury more in the No. 3 spot last year, where they weren't able to showcase his elite on-base abilities. Girardi also wants to continue to see both Ellsbury and Gardner run on the bases and put pressure on opposing pitchers.

Fantasy Tip: After a .271 season in which he hit 16 home runs and stole 39 bases in pinstripes, Ellsbury's floor is pretty high in the Bronx, even on the wrong side of 30. His price is justified with an early-rounds selection. Because Gardner doesn't have near the power that Ellsbury possesses, he's more of a middle-rounds selection as a speed asset.

New York Yankees SP CC Sabathia (knee) will face hitters for the first time this spring soon, and he could pitch in a Grapefruit League game as soon as next week, according to manager Joe Girardi.

Fantasy Tip: Sabathia made just eight starts in 2014 after having knee surgery, and he went 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA. Concerns about the 34-year-old's conditioning and injuries is very real, not to mention his decreased velocity in recent years. Sabathia requires some faith as a late-round flier in mixed leagues.

New York Yankees SP Masahiro Tanaka (elbow) faced hitters for the first time this spring Monday, March 2, and he thinks it went well. Tanaka went 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA in 20 starts last year for the Yanks. "My body's perfectly fine. I understand everybody's worried about the elbow and I understand too that I have to be cautious about it, as well, but so far it's been good," Tanaka said. He'll next throw another bullpen or simulated game.

Fantasy Tip: Tanaka could be very tough to trust on your fantasy baseball roster in 2015 as he tries to avoid Tommy John elbow reconstruction. So far Tanaka's results have been good, but it's still early. If you choose to roster him this year, make sure you have plenty of rotation insurance in case he has a setback and needs surgery during the year.

New York Yankees SP Nathan Eovaldi has been working on improving his splitter during spring training and hopes to make it a strikeout pitch this season along with his fastball and slider.

Fantasy Tip: Eovaldi is expected to be the No. 4 starting pitcher for the Yankees this season and could have a bigger role if he is able to improve on his pitches. Eovaldi could be an option in the later rounds of mixed league drafts because of his strikeout potential.

New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez will not be in the team's lineup for their exhibition game Tuesday, March 3. However, he'll play in the intrasquad game Monday, March 2, where a pair of 11-player teams will play six innings against a pitching machine. Rodriguez will not play in the field Monday. Manager Joe Girardi said it's important to give Rodriguez many at-bats early in spring because of his long layoff.

Fantasy Tip: A-Rod is a big mystery for fantasy owners this year as he comes off his season-long suspension in 2014. At-bats may be hard to come by for Rodriguez during the season, which makes him, at best, a late-round gamble. However, facing left-handers often could make him more successful in a limited role.

Fantasy Tip: Pineda is being counted on to be a big contributor to New York's starting rotation, despite missing the bulk of the last three seasons due to multiple shoulder injuries. Depending on how he fares this spring, he could be worth a late-round flier in AL-only leagues and should be monitored in mixed leagues.

New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira (wrist) said his surgically-repaired right wrist feels as well as it has in a long time and he believes he will be able to drive the ball for power like he did in the past.

Fantasy Tip: Teixeira's fantasy stock has fallen rapidly for multiple reasons and he should be available in the later rounds of mixed league drafts as a corner infield option. It's encouraging to hear that his wrist is OK and that he has switched to a more nutritious diet this offseason, but it's difficult to envision him performing as well as he did five years ago, considering that he will turn 35 next month.

New York Yankees OF Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to serve as the club's leadoff hitter in 2015, after spending much of the 2014 season batting third. "I felt comfortable batting third," he said. "Once the lineup spins through, it really doesn't matter. But coming up with runners in scoring position, I felt comfortable in those situations. If they hit me 3, or 1 or 2, Joe (Girardi) knows how I feel. I'll do anything."

Fantasy Tip: Due to Ellsbury's changing role in the Yankees' batting order, expect to see more stolen bases and fewer RBIs out of him in 2015. He is projected to be taken in the first three rounds of mixed league fantasy drafts.

New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez was taking fielding practice at first base Friday, Feb. 27, with less than ideal results. Rodriguez is concerned about "embarrassing himself" at a position he said he hasn't played at any level. There was a hesitance to Rodriguez as he learned the position Friday. Right now, the only job available to Rodriguez is a part-time designated hitter role against lefties.

Fantasy Tip: Right now, there are plenty of question marks surrounding A-Rod. Most notably, can he still hit for power at age 39 after missing a full season? That remains to be seen, but his playing time will also be a big factor in how much fantasy value he'll have. If he shows that power remains in the lumber and he can find at-bats at third and first base, he'll be worth a late-round stab in mixed leagues.

New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira has become gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free, and he's hoping the change will help him avoid injuries. "I look at the last two years as hopefully more of a bump in the road," Teixeira said. "The way I feel now, I feel like a kid again. I feel like I did a few years ago when I was hitting 30-plus homers and driving in 100 runs, playing almost every single day." Teixeira played in 123 games last year and hit just .216 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI. He'll turn 35 in April and hasn't played more than 123 games since 2011. Teixeira reconfigured his body in the offseason, and he added 13 pounds of muscle while losing fat.

Fantasy Tip: Teixeira doesn't even crack the top 20 in our first baseman rankings, mainly because of his poor health in recent seasons. However, his new and improved body and diet gives hope that he can at least return to the 20-homer mark again this year, if he can stay healthy. That's a big if, though. He's worth consideration at the tail end of standard drafts as a corner infield option.

New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez could see some time at first base this spring, and manager Joe Girardi plans to discuss it with him when players officially report to camp Wednesday, Feb. 25. "I'll talk to him about taking some grounders over there just to be prepared, if I need to give a guy a day off or however we chose to do it," Girardi said. "But yeah, I'm going to talk to him about it and see how comfortable he is." Rodriguez will likely need plenty of at-bats this spring in order to learn first base and to be ready for opening day.

Fantasy Tip: Because of all the uncertainty surrounding Rodriguez after sitting out all of the 2014 season, he's only a late-round selection, at best, in standard leagues. The biggest uncertainty will be his playing time, but adding first base to his duties will help with that. Monitor him this spring to see how his power stick plays. Rodriguez can still help fantasy owners as corner infield depth.

New York Yankees SP Ivan Nova (elbow) threw off the mound for the third time Tuesday, Feb. 24, since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April, but he was limited to strictly fastballs. Nova is feeling no pain in his right elbow, though.

Fantasy Tip: Nova is too big of a gamble to take in standard 12-team leagues this year as he recovers from TJS. Remember, starting pitchers often have a period of adjustment when they initially return from elbow reconstruction. Keep an eye on him for now. Nova could become a valuable waiver wire acquisition later in the season.

New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez believes he will be fine without performance enhancing drugs, despite his year-long suspension. Rodriguez admitted he is worried about the mental aspects of how he will fare.

Fantasy Tip: The combination of the mental stress and not using PEDs could take its toll on Rodriguez, who is a risky pickup in fantasy leagues because of all the uncertainty. Keep an eye on how he does in spring training, as the media scrutiny will be relentless.

New York Yankees SP CC Sabathia (knee) entered spring camp weighing 305 pounds. After drastic weight losses the past two years, Sabathia and team trainers and doctors determined his ideal weight should be between 295 and 305 pounds.

Fantasy Tip: It begs the question of whether the extra weight has caused his knee to degenerate, but the doctors suggest he is at ideal weight so the weight may not be the issue. Sabathia's best days may be behind him as an earlier tip suggests, so proceed with caution and know his fantasy value has decreased.